In recent years there has been evidenced a marked increase in the amount of effort being expended on developing alternate forms of prime movers adapted to be utilized in motor vehicles. Much of the work which has been done here to date has been directed primarily towards perfecting a prime mover which could function as a direct substitute for the conventional internal combustion engine.
It has long been recognized that the overall operating efficiency of the internal combustion engine is relatively low. This is basically the reason why the internal combustion engine is such a notorious source of air pollution. However, it was not until relatively recently, i.e., the last five or six years that serious concern began to be expressed regarding the deleterious impact that pollution from internal combustion engines was having on the environment. In response thereto, steps have been taken towards the pursuit of two fundamental approaches which it is hoped would have the effect of minimizing the damage presently being done to the environment. One of these approaches involves the development of some type of means capable of being cooperatively associated with the present internal combustion engine to eliminate from the exhaust thereof those components which have a harmful effect on the environment. The second approach has been directed towards developing a substantially pollution-free engine which could replace the internal combustion engine as the prime mover in a vehicle. In this connection, some persons have looked upon the rotary engine as one such possible replacement for the internal combustion engine. Another approach which has been studied involves the nonuse of fossil fuel. It is with this latter approach that the subject matter of the present invention is concerned.
The desirability of developing a prime mover for motor vehicles which would not be dependent on fossil fuels for its source of energy has received a great deal of impetus in the last few years because of the shortage of gasoline which has existed as well as the very high cost of gasoline. Inasmuch as no end to the oil shortage appears to be in sight, and the fact that it can be expected that the price of gasoline will only continue to increase, serious attention is being focused on the possibility of providing means capable of being associated with conventional forms of engines of motor vehicles which would be operable to lessen the amount of gasoline being burned thereby, such as by increasing the amount of mileage capable of being obtained from a given gallon of gasoline. Although such efforts are praiseworthy, the only real solution to the problem of gasoline shortages and the high prices thereof is to reduce the dependency on the use thereof by providing prime movers for motor vehicles which do not receive their energy directly from the combustion of fossil fuels.
In addition to the aforementioned disadvantages which characterize the conventional form of internal combustion engines, another disadvantage thereof is that an internal combustion engine is relatively complex, i.e., includes a relatively large number of moving parts. Since it is well-known that the frequency of malfunctions in a manufactured product varies essentially in direct proportion to the number of moving parts embodied therein, it is readily apparent that the number of hours of trouble-free operation capable of being provided by an internal combustion engine will commonly be less than that capable of being provided by another form of prime mover which embodies fewer moving parts. In this regard, an electrically powered engine which embodies a minimum number of moving parts compares very favorably to the internal combustion engine.
Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved prime mover operable for powering a motor vehicle.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a prime mover for a motor vehicle which does not derive its power from fossil fuel.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such a prime mover for motor vehicles which comprises a magnetic motor.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide such a prime mover for motor vehicles wherein magnetic forces produce the power which is employed to drive the motor vehicle.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such a prime mover for motor vehicles which is characterized by the ease with which speed regulation is capable of being effected.
Yet still another object of the present invention is to provide such a prime mover for a motor vehicle which is simple in construction, and is capable of being easily embodied in a motor vehicle.